Greyhound forward part of NHL history

It was a busy weekend for the Soo Greyhounds as the NHL held its annual entry draft in Sunrise, Fla.

The Greyhounds saw four players selected, including one in the first round for the third consecutive season.

It was that first rounder that was also part of some NHL history as well as the Boston Bruins used their third of three-consecutive picks in the opening round to take Zach Senyshyn with the 15th overall pick.

The Bruins also held picks 13, used to select Jakub Zboril, and 14, where they selected Jake DeBrusk.

With the trio of picks, it marked the first time in modern draft history that a team held three consecutive picks in the opening round.

The Montreal Canadiens held three-consecutive picks in the 1968 draft, which was the final draft before the league went to a true amateur draft in 1969.

For Senyshyn, the moment was a special one to be shared with his family at the event.

“It’s surreal to be drafted by the Bruins,” Senyshyn said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and an experience that I’ve never felt before. It was definitely a really exciting time and it was nice to be able to share it with my family.”

The rookie forward said pre-draft meetings with the Bruins show him some interest the NHL club had in selecting him on the weekend.

“I had a couple of really good meetings with Boston so I could tell they were interested,” Senyshyn said of his interviews with the Bruins. “I had an idea that they were interested but I didn’t know where they were looking to take me so it was a nice surprise for them to take me where they did.”

Senyshyn finished the 2014-15 season with 26 goals and 45 points in 66 games before adding four goals and seven points in 14 playoff games as the Greyhounds advanced to the OHL’s Western Conference final.

Other Greyhounds selected included sophomore forward Blake Speers and second-year blueliner Colton White, both selected by the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils used their third round pick to select Speers before selecting White a round later.

“You don’t go into the draft expecting to get picked by the same team as one of your teammates,” Speers told NJ Advance Media about being selected by the same team as his Greyhound mate.

“I’m very excited to go to camp with him (White) in the coming weeks,” Speers also said.

Speers finished the season with 24 goals and 67 points in 57 games in his second season with his hometown club.

White, the second-year blueliner, had six goals and 22 points for the Greyhounds in 2014-15.

The Minnesota Wild then used their seventh round pick to select slick-skating defenceman Gustav Bouramman.

Selected by the Greyhounds in the Canadian Hockey League import draft last summer, Bouramman scored five goals and 44 points in 67 games in his first season in Sault Ste. Marie.

(Photo: Soo Greyhounds forward Zach Senyshyn after being selected in the first round of the NHL Draft on Friday night. Aaron Bell/CHLImages)